Just to confirm whats been said I have done both versions of buying Applecare.

With my iMac and Macbook I bought Applecare at the time of purchase, but with the Macbook Pro I decided not to buy it. However during that first year the MBP developed the banding problem I mentioned. So as a back up policy I grabbed the Applecare just before my first years cover ran out._________________Phil

MalzyWheels,
Thanks for looking at video. I think the change in Light is the White Balance of my Mini-DV Camcorder. It's a cheap Samsung lower model. But just looking, you can tell the shade of gray is much lighter & more washed out looking on bottom.

I tried playing with Calibration & my setting did not save.

Surfing posts on Craigslist, really made it show up for some reason.

So I wait hoping to get a replacement that is better & does not flicker. I'm not a Photographer or a Graphic Artist. Had I not been snooping around Forum threads, I may not have noticed. At least for a while. But the Screen Flicker I could not live with. Thanks again.

Ok. So I got my replacement iMac. This one is a Week 51 & has a Hitachi Hard Drive. Last One had a Seagate. This Hitachi you can hear when opening up Programs & such. Not loud just the slight accessing sound. The old Seagate was Silent.
The Screen does have a slight color confirmation difference, this time from right to left of screen. The older iMac I had. had a top to bottom issue. I can only tell the difference when I run the Grey Bar test that was posted on Macrumors. I can never tell when I'm on a white page or in ANY application.
So far it has not Flickered Once after 3 days of use.

I have a new Case #. Talked to Senior Advisor at Apple. They did not know enough for me to swap it out or fix it. Every Tech at Apple tells you it's something different. Video Card, Screen Cable, Screen, etc...
Apple really needs to fix this issue before going ahead & introducing new Products. Apple has never addressed the issue publicly. They say nothing. Probably since they still don't know what the problem is. This product was introduced late Oct. It's been over 3 Months with no solution.

Here is what a User Posted which to me makes the most sense of anything I have heard so far.

Read His Statement:

What Could Be Wrong?
The same reader who tested the color temperatures of his yellow iMac display last week—and coincidentally fixed his jaundiced iMac without knowing how he did it—thinks he may have figured out the issue:

I now am fairly certain that the yellowing of the display is a manufacturing defect involving the distance between a layer of material used to diffuse the LED backlight and the LCD panel. To show a perfectly even color, this light scattering panel has to be absolutely flat and free of any warping, kinking, or thickness defects. It is this layer that I believe is at fault, and causes the color to drift and give the perception of yellow stripes, fields, and corners.
This would be absolutely consistent with the reports of horizontal and vertical stripes (a vertical or horizontal kink) or corners (a bad tuck). I believe these defects may not appear in the factory. Rather, with the rough handling the monitors receive when shipped this layer gets knocked out of alignment.
I don't know what Apple could do to solve this problem, other than a wholesale change of manufacturer for the panels, or a complete redesign of the panels themselves to better pin the diffusion layer.
It also explains why my careful assembly and dis-assembly resulted in the yellowing disappearing. By being cautious, I basically returned the monitors to the original factory state of perfect alignment.

Update: Just got a phone call from Apple. Basically he looked at my Pictures I had sent via email & confirmed there was indeed a Color Variance on my Screen. He basically & very honestly told me this is just a follow up phone call to get more info from me. He then told me Apple does not currently have a fix. They are working on it. He also said, the they were told they may have a fix in 3 weeks. He also said it could take longer. When I asked why Apple never tried a firmware fix for the 21" iMac. He said, at the time we did not know the 21" had a problem. But we do now. I told him I just don't want to keep swapping out iMacs, only to get another faulty one. He completely understood & agreed. He said he or someone else will get back to me when there is a definite fix. He was polite, professional & empathetic to my situation. Bottom line is he was honest. They don't have a fix yet! So I will wait patiently. I feel better now. I also made a joke & said, if it's not fixed for 6 Months, will they upgrade me to the future Model iMac. He laughed & said, No, it will be resolved by then._________________iMac 27" 3.06 8GB ATI 4670 1TB HD
Mac Mini 1.83 Intel Core 2 Duo 4GB 80 GB
Macbook Pro 2.4 GHz i5 8 GB Ram 500 GB HD
Power Mac G5 1.8 GHz
Apple TV 3rd Gen
Time Capsule 1st Gen 2TB

That's a good customer service story. I like it when a company can admit fault and they are proactive in resolving issues and contacting customers. With the issue being as widespread as it is, I honestly surprised you didn't just get some canned email or response.

Good for you, I know I'd feel better.

Last edited by Bandit Bill on Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:25 pm; edited 1 time in total

When I receive my girlfriends iMac, the iMac original box was put into a larger brown cardboard box. However there was no additional packing protection in the larger brown box, it acted more like a sleeve to protect the pretty iMac box. Therefore it sounds like Apple has recognized that additional protection was needed when shipping through the couriers and started adding more protection.

The way I see it, there is not much that can be done to protect electronics from couriers. If they don't crush or piece the box, they will still jar the heck out of it. Likely the tougher and bigger the box is the more they will throw and slam it around.

Update:
I called Apple & I'm sending my 21" back because they want to test it. I'm Keeping this one till the new one arrives. They had no idea there was a problem with the 21" model. They Thanked me for writing a letter to Apple & asked me if I would mind, upgrading to the 27" ATI 1TB Model? Of course I said, No, I would not Mind. So my new 27" does not Ship until Feb. 18th. But like I said before, "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait"!! I also told the rep if there is a problem, with the 27", could I swap it out & she replied yes. So with a little patience Apple does taks care of polite & courteous customers who do not rant, scream, yell & whine on the Phone. Someone else on the 21" Apple Discussions Forum was offered & Upgrade & she refused. She said the 27" would not fit on her desk. I say buy a bigger Desk! My new 27" iMac does not ship until Feb 18th, so I should have last week of Feb. I will of course keep you posted._________________iMac 27" 3.06 8GB ATI 4670 1TB HD
Mac Mini 1.83 Intel Core 2 Duo 4GB 80 GB
Macbook Pro 2.4 GHz i5 8 GB Ram 500 GB HD
Power Mac G5 1.8 GHz
Apple TV 3rd Gen
Time Capsule 1st Gen 2TB